Neighborhood-level housing affordability and maternal depression
Housing affordability is a growing public health crisis, with lower-income families disproportionately affected. At the individual-level, measures of housing affordability have been linked to maternal mental health, but less is known about how neighborhood-level characteristics influence wellbeing i...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Book |
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Elsevier,
2023-12-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | Housing affordability is a growing public health crisis, with lower-income families disproportionately affected. At the individual-level, measures of housing affordability have been linked to maternal mental health, but less is known about how neighborhood-level characteristics influence wellbeing in the perinatal period. Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which follows a national cohort of children born between 1998 and 2000 in United States cities and their parents, we examined associations between neighborhood-level housing affordability and maternal depression in the postpartum year. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic mothers were overrepresented among those living in rent-burdened neighborhoods. Living in a rent-burdened neighborhood was associated with a 3-percentage-point increase in the risk of maternal depression in the postpartum year, even after adjusting for individual and other neighborhood-level covariates. Individual-level housing hardships associated with maternal depression included difficulty paying rent, staying in temporary housing, and having trouble paying utilities. Policies that address neighborhood-level affordability may have spillover benefits for lowering the risk of depression and reducing disparities in maternal mental health. |
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| Item Description: | 2666-5603 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100192 |